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LANDMARKS GEORGIA
Georgia
on your mind
SUMMER’S JUST BEAUTIFUL IN THE MOUNTAINS
OF NORTHERN GEORGIA, WHERE YOU CAN FIND AUTHENTIC SOUTHERN FARE, APPALACHIAN CULTURE AND OUTDOOR ADVENTURES.
ALLISON ENTREKIN
Just an hour north of Atlanta, traffic fades and a blue-grey mountain peaks appear. Tucked between them you’ll discover Appalachian towns with old fashioned appeal. These are places where restaurants still serve sugar sweet tea on front porches, vintage trains carry passengers along a winding 1885 railroad and children pan for gold in an open pit mine.
But this, as you’ll soon find, is Mayberry 2.0. Here an enterprising generation of wine maker cultivates award winning wine in the red clay soil. Nearby, one of the largest hang gliding schools in the country lets visitors strap on wings and soar from 450 metres. Antique shops abound. North Georgia is retro, but in a good way. It’s also a place where locals welcome you as one of their own.
Immerse yourself in the history and culture
As any Civil War buff will tell you, north Georgia was the site of many of the war’s most important battles, notably the Battle of Chickamauga and the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain. But General Sherman couldn’t upend the Appalachian way of life in these parts. Runaway slaves, gold hunters and pioneers hardy enough to withstand the altitude (nearly 1,500 metres) settled the area. Discover their culture at the Foxfire Museum, in Mountain City.
Of course, many Appalachian settlers were motivated by gold. The town of Dahlonega saw a gold rush in 1829, a full 20 years before California’s. At Crisson Gold Mine you can still pan for gold in an open pit mine that dates from 1847. In the heart of historic downtown, you can also step inside the 1836 courthouse, now home to the Dahlonega Gold Museum. See some of the coins produced during the rush, plus a giant shiny nugget found nearby.
Getting out and about
North Georgia is packed with outlets for getting your adrenaline pumping. Visitors can brave the Chattooga River’s Class V rapids during a white water trip with Southeastern Expeditions.
All sense of gravity vanishes during a hang gliding trip with Lookout Mountain Flight Park, the largest school for the sport in the country. Newcomers can fly in tandem with professionals and on clear days you’ll see for hundreds of kilometres.
This area is known as the gateway to the Appalachian Trail. You may not have dreams of walking more than 3,200 kilometres north to Mount Katahdin in Maine, but you can still park at the base of Amicalola Falls and trek 14 kilometres to the trail’s southern end
6 SEPTEMBER 2014